PayScale’s VIP Blog Roundup: Is Being Happy at Work the Right Goal?

The pursuit of happiness is ingrained in American culture, appearing front and center in the Declaration of Independence. The problem is that being happy and leading a meaningful life are not always the same thing. Focus too much on being happy at work, and you could wind up unfulfilled in your career.

Today many of us are no less interested in creating a life that matters. The question is how, and it’s one that Emily Esfahani Smith takes up in her deeply researched new book, The Power of Meaning, where she finds that many of us may be chasing the wrong thing. So much self-help and career advice is geared toward helping people pursue happiness, but Smith believes our needs go far deeper than that.

A meaningful life, she argues, isn’t quite identical with a happy one. But the good news is that fulfillment and purpose may be closer within reach than perfect happiness is—and ultimately more satisfying anyway.

“As an FBI agent, I needed to be likable as well as credible,” Quy writes. “As a likable person, I was able to exert a great deal of influence on others because I was able to connect with them in a meaningful way. Likable people do better in business as well. Clients listen to them, trust them, and are willing to give them the benefit of doubt.”

Do You Know What You're Worth?

“Even though you might have great analytical skills and intelligence, not listening properly decreases the effectiveness of your leadership role,” Edwards writes. “Become a better listener and everyone wins: your employees feel part of a team and you can lead them to success.”

Being a good listener doesn’t just mean paying attention to what your reports are saying. It also means communicating your attentiveness and indicating that you’re receptive to their ideas. Get tips on how to do that, in this post.

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